Electrical vehicles provided with rechargeable batteries become widely used. Typically, the user recharges the electric batteries of his vehicle in connecting the batteries to the power grid via a suitable plug. In this case, the user generally uses the connection to the power grid that is available at his residence.
Some fully electric vehicles may not yet have an autonomy suitable for enabling the user to travel a long way without recharging the batteries, once they are depleted, to further postpone the recharging of the batteries of the vehicle. In this case, the user may have to recharge his batteries outside his residence, for example in a charging station available to the public upon payment of a fee.
Different types of charging stations and associated methods adapted for distributing electricity to electric vehicles have been proposed.
Charging stations similar to gasoline stations and adapted for public use have been proposed. In this case, the user may approach his electric car proximate the charging station as he would do with a conventional gasoline pump, present a credit card to the station or otherwise arrange for payment, operatively plug the vehicle to the charging station and be provided with electricity. After the vehicle is sufficiently charged, the amount of power provided may be calculated, and either the credit card debited for the correct amount, or other arrangements to pay for the service may be accommodated such as debiting a prepaid account.
It has been shown that charging stations may be prone to vandalism and even theft of portions of the station. For example, it is known that copper conductive cables are often targeted as copper may be sold.
Moreover, the charging stations may also be prone to various damages. For example, if a user does not replace the distributing cable in its correct position after use, the cable and associated connector may remain unprotected on the ground. The cable may then be damaged and subjected to climatic conditions.
In harsh climatic conditions such as during winter in northern countries like Canada, if the cable is not properly placed between subsequent uses, it may be running on the floor, in ice and snow and be trapped in ice. The station will then not be available for a user until an operator frees the cable from ice, which is a great limitation. Moreover, the cable may be damaged by motorized snow removal, which is also a great disadvantage.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved charging station that would reduce at least one of the above mentioned drawbacks. For example, it would be desirable to provide a charging station devised to resist to heavy conditions such as snow, ice, and most of debris for example, while offering an easy and convenient experience to the user.